Feliz Navidad!

The first snow is here, making it officially the holidays for this non-Minnesotan whose memories of December have more to do with beaches and sun than snow and hot chocolate. Nonetheless, I’ve since been educated and now can’t bear the thought of a brown Christmas. With only two weeks until we’re celebrating, I have decided that for my post I will pay tribute to the season of joy.

This is a roundup of my favorite holiday traditions, both American and Latin:

The Christmas Tree. I am OBSESSED with Christmas trees. I had mine up probably two weeks before Thanksgiving and will most likely take it down sometime near Valentine’s Day. Sadly, living in an apartment building has deprived me of getting a real pine and filling my house with the amazing smells of the holidays. I guess I’ll have to settle for a Target-version spruce and a candle.

The music. Nothing beats Mariah Carey’s holiday album. I can listen to that baby all year round. From jingles and a Santa laugh to heavenly choirs, that stuff really makes me happy. I also suggest checking out singing carols if you haven’t already (the ones over at Holidazzle are pretty good).

Tamales. This is a Costa Rican traditional holiday dish that I brought in to share with my friends at Fast Horse. It really isn’t Christmas without this delicious corn hand-pie stuffed with all kinds of goodness (pork, chicken, garbanzo beans, prunes, olives, rice) and bathed with our traditional Lizano sauce.